Sickle Cell and Beta Thalassemia chosen for first human trial of the gene editing technology, CRISPR by sponsoring companies CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, trial at a single site in Germany,

Sickle Cell and Beta Thalassemia chosen for first human trial of the gene editing technology, CRISPR by sponsoring companies CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, trial at a single site in Germany,

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

UPDATED on 3/09/2019

CRISPR Therapeutics share up on announcement of first dosing in the joint Vertex sponsored trial for their gene editing therapy CTX001 for patients with beta thalassemia.

CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP – Free Report) and its partner Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX – Free Report) announced the dosing of the first patient in a phase I/II study evaluating the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing therapy, CTX001, in patients with beta thalassemia, a form of anemia. This is the first in-human use of CTX001 in any clinical study.

The companies also enrolled first patients in another phase I/II study evaluating CTX001 in patients with severe sickle cell disease (“SCD”), a severe hereditary form of anemia. Dosing in the study is expected to start in mid-2019.

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics surged more than 25% following the announcement of the progress made by the company in studies on CTX001. However, the stock has declined 14.3% in the past year.

We remind investors that last month, the FDA assigned Fast Track designation CTX001 for the treatment of SCD. With this designation, the drug is expected to be granted a priority review once the company files a new drug application.

In December 2018, Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics selected CTX001 to move into clinical development as a gene edited treatment for sickle cell disease and beta -thalassemia. CTX001 has been developed using CRISPR Therapeutics’ proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The companies had entered into a strategic research collaboration in 2015 to co-develop and co-commercialize CTX001. Per the agreement, they will equally share all R&D costs and profits worldwide. Vertex has rights to license up to six new gene editing treatments (including CTX001), developed using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology from CRISPR that will emerge from the joint research deal.

CRISPR Therapeutics also announced its fourth-quarter results in a separate press release. The company reported revenues of $0.1 million, which came from collaborations, compared to $32.3 million in year-ago period. Reported loss was 92 cents per share in the fourth quarter. The company achieved breakeven results in the year-ago quarter.

The company remains on track to initiate an immuno-oncology study in the first half of 2019 on its CAR-T cell therapy candidate, CTX110, for treating CD19+ malignancies. The company is the sole owner of the candidate. Since September, the company has inked or modified several collaboration agreements with other pharma companies for pre-clinical development of its new CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing candidates.

“Our scientific investments have brought us to a point where we have many tools available to correct or compensate for the defective gene that causes sickle cell disease. We are now ready to use these tools to speed up our quest for a cure,” said Gary H. Gibbons, M.D., director of NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is leading the effort.

Vertex licensed CTX001, an autologous gene-edited hematopoietic stem cell therapy, from CRISPR in December. It was the first CRISPR-based treatment to come out of a four-year, $105 million deal the pair struck in 2015. At the time, Vertex paid up $75 million in cash and took a $30 million stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in exchange for the right to license up to six gene-editing programs. CTX001 is being developed for the blood disorders sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.

Both disorders are caused by mutations in the beta-globin gene, which codes for a part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying component of red blood cells. This results in missing or defective hemoglobin. CTX001 was developed on the knowledge that fetal hemoglobin—found in newborn babies but later replaced by adult hemoglobin—can be protective in adults who have blood disorders.

CTX001 uses CRISPR gene-editing ex vivo—that is, outside the body. A patient’s cells are harvested and edited to increase fetal hemoglobin levels in the patient’s blood cells. The edited cells are then infused back into the patient where they are expected to produce blood cells with fetal hemoglobin and compensate for defective adult hemoglobin.